A Parent's Living Nightmare
by Crymson Pahoyhoy
Summary: Denzel has been Xigbar and Tifa's foster son for six months now and he has become part of the family. How will the family survive what is about to happen to him?


You just got disclaimed!

This is dedicated to Writer-Y because she raped our stories (in a loving way of course) and we heart her!

**A Parent's Living Nightmare**  
"Now, if you midgets don't behave while we're here, we aren't going out for ice cream afterwards," Xigbar called out as he watched his children run into the museum before him. Denzel was keeping up with the girls just fine today, which was a relief after how ill he had been as of late. Denzel had been feeling so much better recently that Xigbar had decided to treat them to a day out to a place of Denzel's choice to celebrate. The only downside was that Tifa had three employees call in sick today and had to go in and cover their shifts, so that left Xigbar alone with the midgets today. Not that he minded spending the time alone with his kids.

* * *

Corralling them all back to his side, Xigbar led their small group over to the new interactive children's exhibit. Yuffie went directly over to the glass case that held various ninja related weapons, pressing her hands and face against the glass. Selphie rushed over to the model trains, making sure to press every single button she could. Rikku grabbed onto Denzel's hand and dragged him into a tornado simulator with her, giggling loudly as the wind blew their clothes and hair around.

Gazing over at them fondly, Xigbar leaned up against a column where he could keep an eye on all four of his midgets. Allowing himself a small smile, Xigbar was amazed with the way that Denzel was fitting in with their family. Although the process would take nearly another eight months to complete, Xigbar had never had a second thought about adopting the boy. The girls were ecstatic with the idea as well. They had readily accepted him as their brother, and had even become so protective of him ever since he had been in a constant battle with these odd and frequent infections that those idiot doctors could find no explanation for.

"I had no idea that I had spawned a pedophile…" a voice broke through Xigbar's thoughts like a brick through a window, all color draining from his face at the sound. Why was the bastard here? Why today? Why when he had his kids with him?

"Hojo," Xigbar growled curtly, seeing the long haired man standing a few feet away from him, the usual long white coat he always wore surprisingly absent to reveal an expensive business suit.

Giving him a disapproving look, Hojo gave Xigbar a condescending once over, "Is that any way to address your father? Don't you think you ought to treat me with a little more respect?"

Not dignifying that with a response, Xigbar let his eye sweep the exhibit for any sign of an employee or curator, just someone. Luckily he recognized the single employee he saw standing there over looking the exhibit. Ignoring the bane of his existence for a moment, Xigbar walked over to the museum employing, putting on a slightly forced smile.

"Hey, Rydia. Long time no see."

"Oh hi, Xigbar! What can I do for you?" the youthful woman smiled.

"I was wondering if you could keep an eye on my four midgets over there for just a sec? Something has come up that I have to deal with, and I don't really want the kids to witness it," Xigbar flashed a wide smile which she giggled and returned.

"No problem, take your time."

A dark flash passed through Xigbar's single eye, "Oh, it won't take long. Trust me." Stalking back over to where _he_ had been standing, Xigbar paid the other man no attention no heed as he passed by him and continued to the museum entrance. From the sound of shoes clicking against the polished floor, Xigbar was slightly relieved that the bastard was following him and not remaining near the kids.

As soon as they got outside, Hojo spoke up. "Four children? I take it that you decided to keep that orphan vagabond that you took in off the streets."

"Hey," Xigbar growled, turning to face the spectacled man, "Don't talk about my son that way."

Hojo rolled his eyes, "That homeless child is not your son."

"Yes he is," Xigbar said defensively, "Blood is not what makes a family."

"Speaking of which, it has been four years since I last saw my actual grandchildren…" Before Hojo got a chance to finish his sentence, Xigbar cut him off.

"They are not your grandchildren. They are in no way related to you. You are to leave them alone and never go near my son and daughters again, or else I will see to it personally that you never take another breath again." There was a murderous gleam to Xigbar's amber eye that made even Hojo find the threat worth merit. Xigbar was serious.

"You cannot keep them away from me forever," Hojo told his son, irritation lacing his voice.

"Watch me." Xigbar's voice was as solid as steal.

Hojo chuckled, not believing the validity of his son's words. "Ever the irrational one. You really should have become more like your brother." Without another word, Hojo then turned away and walked over to the parking lot, leaving his son to think about his words.

Growling in frustration, Xigbar turned and without thinking, unleashed his rage in the form of a punch to the museum's exterior. Shaking his hand out after making contact with the brick wall, Xigbar was not surprised to see flecks of his own blood welling up on his knuckles. How was it that one man could bring out the absolute worse side of him every time?

"Xigbar!" A female voice called him, and Xigbar spun around to see Rydia frantically waving for him to come back inside.

Taking a deep breath to cleanse his thoughts, the one eyed man went back into the museum and over to Rydia. "What's up?"

"You're son is asking for you. You'd better come quickly."

Nodding, Xigbar rushed back over to the kid's exhibit to see Denzel sitting on a bench with Selphie, her arm wrapped around his shoulders. Rikku and Yuffie were both hovering over them. Denzel seemed to be holding something to his mouth. Freaking out just a little bit inside, Xigbar picked up his pace. When he reached them, he knelt down in front of his son, reaching his hands up to cup the boy's cheeks. He stopped just short of touching Denzel; worried he might hurt him more or make it worse.

"What happened here, Little Dude?" Xigbar questioned.

"Well, Selphie wanted to go into the tornado thingy…" Yuffie started.

"So, she took Denzel in with her cause he liked it so much the first time…" Rikku continued.

"And I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, it just kinda happened! I really am sorry," Selphie sounded like she was hyperventilating just a little as she continued on, "I didn't mean to! I'm sorry; I didn't even hit him that hard!"

Reaching one hand up, Xigbar placed it on top of Selphie's head, causing her to calm down instantly. It really was a neat little trick. "Hold up there. What exactly happened?" He asked the kids.

Denzel then removed the paper towel from his mouth, showing the blood that had collected there. "We were in the tornado simulator and Selphie bumped my mouth. Then it just started bleeding."

Nodding, Xigbar looked over at Selphie who still had tears streaming from her bright green eyes. "Don't worry munchkin, you didn't do anything wrong," he told her with a fatherly smile, before turning back to Denzel, "Let's get you home and all cleaned up, then we'll go get that ice cream."

"But…we didn't get to see all the exhibits!" Denzel whined.

Xigbar just laughed as he stood up, "Don't worry. We'll come back soon."

"Really? You mean it, Xigbar?"

"You betcha Little Dude," he grinned, ruffling his hair.

.

.

Xigbar gazed lovingly over at Tifa as she basked in her afterglow. She was so beautiful after sex, but despite how wonderful their lovemaking had been, Xigbar kept finding his mind wandering to the events of the museum today.

"What, no round two?" Tifa whispered, running her hand through Xigbar's long hair.

"Sorry, Sugar Tits. I'm just a little distracted tonight," he replied, pulling her close, loving the way her naked flesh felt against his own.

"This is still about that bastard, isn't it?" Tifa asked softly.

Nodding his head in agreement, Xigbar opened his mouth to respond, but was quieted when he heard a strangled cry coming from down the hall. His parental side took over at the sound, and as soon as he heard it again, Xigbar shot up out of bed, barely remembering to grab his discarded boxers from the floor as he made his way to the door.

"Xigbar?" Tifa questioned, sitting up.

"Don't worry; I'll go check on them. I'll be right back," Xigbar told her before walking down the dark hallway to his children's rooms. Grabbing the first doorknob he could reach, Xigbar barely got the door to the triplet's room open before he heard another cry coming from the room behind him. Spinning around, the one eyed man noticed that his son's door was already open just crack. A million thoughts went through his mind as to what could be happening in there, so Xigbar threw the door open the rest of the way, flipping the overhead light on as he entered.

There he saw Denzel asleep, but his flushed face was contorted in pain and his forehead was drenched with sweat. As he stepped closer, Xigbar noticed that Denzel's pillow, blanket and pajama top were also soaked right through with perspiration.

"What's going on?" Tifa said from behind him as she tied the ties on her bright red silk robe. "Geez, he's soaking wet! I'll go get a cold cloth." Without waiting for a response, Xigbar heard her run down the hall.

Moving over and sitting on the bed next to his son, Xigbar reached one hand up to check to see just how high Denzel's fever might be. Before he could touch skin however, Denzel's bright blue eyes flew open to reveal irises clouded in pain. Seeing Xigbar sitting there next to him, recognition flashed over Denzel's face.

"Daddy…" Denzel whimpered before throwing his body into Xigbar's arms.

Xigbar was slightly startled at the parental term that Denzel had never used before; it took him a second before he wrapped his arms around his trembling son, holding him close trying to comfort him. It surprised the dark haired man just how warm Denzel was even through his clothes.

"I'm so hot…it hurts so bad…everywhere…it hurts," Denzel continued, the whimpers turning into full fledge sobs.

"Don't worry," Xigbar whispered, "We'll find a way to make it better."

At that moment, Tifa reappeared, a damp cloth in her hand. Hurrying over, she sat down next to her son, placing the cloth of the back of Denzel's neck as Xigbar shifted their son so that he rested between them. Tifa's arm went around his shoulders as Denzel leaned into her hold, still whimpering in pain.

Xigbar then stood up, slightly afraid, turning to look down at Tifa. "I'm going to go call the hospital," he whispered, receiving only a nod from Tifa as he heard Denzel began to chant a mantra of 'Mom' as they began to rock back and forth on the bed.

As he walked on mission down the hall, Xigbar didn't even register the trio of voices asking him 'Daddy, what's wrong?' His only thought at the moment was finding a phone and getting someone to help his little boy. Grabbing the cordless phone, Xigbar dialed 911 before putting the phone to his ear.

"Xigbar! Grab me some towels!" Tifa's voice rang through their home. Pulling several bath towels out of the hallway closet as he passed it, he hurried back into his son's room only to see that while he had been gone, Denzel had vomited all over the bed and the floor, also getting some on himself and Tifa.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Denzel whimpered.

"Shhh. It's okay, sweetie," Tifa smiled as Xigbar handed her the towels just as someone picked up on the other line. Finally!

"911, what's your emergency." The voice asked.

"My son is burning up, and he's drenched in sweat. He just puked everywhere and he is saying that everything hurts." Xigbar's voice was eerily calm as he told the operator this, though his pacing and agitated movements showed the helplessness he felt. His gaze was torn from watching Tifa and Denzel as he heard three little sets of feet enter the bedroom. Tifa quickly took charge of her daughters, ordering Rikku to go get a glass of water for Denzel, Selphie to get some clean clothes for her brother and Yuffie to go get herself and Xigbar some clothes as well.

"Has he been around and hazardous chemicals or other things that he might be allergic to?" the operator questioned.

"No, I don't think so," Xigbar said, a frustration growing at being forced to answer these pointless questions that weren't helping Denzel at the moment. "He has been getting these weird infections sometimes though, and has been kind of lethargic lately too."

"Alright, Sir. It sounds like you need to get him to the ER. You have two options. We can send an ambulance, or you can take him in yourself.

"Fine. We'll take him in ourselves," he said, hanging up with a grumble. Well, that was no help. Taking the pants and shirt from Yuffie and slipping them on quickly, Xigbar then dialed the most familiar number he knew.

After four rings, someone finally picked up.

"What the hell? Someone better be dead. Its 2 freaking AM," Xigbar's uncle mumbled into the phone.

"Angeal, its Denzel. We've got to take him into the hospital."

Never hearing his nephew's voice so quite or serious, Angeal instantly woke fully up, "Oh god, what's wrong?"

"We're not sure. But we have to get him there as soon as possible. Can you meet us there and take the girls? We don't have time to wait," Xigbar continued as he watched Tifa get Denzel out of his vomit stained clothes and help him dress in the clean ones.

"Sure thing. I'll be waiting for you when you get there." Not waiting for any other response, Xigbar hung up and put the phone on the top of Denzel's dresser. He walked over and lifted his son into his arms as Tifa began to get dressed herself. Holding the shivering boy close, Xigbar could still feel the heat that radiated off of his son's body. What was making him so sick? Why was there nothing that he could do to make Denzel feel better? Xigbar hated feeling this helpless.

.

.

.

Angeal was true to his word and had met them at the hospital, taking the girls from their parents as soon as they pulled up next to him. Although the girls were worried about their brother, the girls were having a hard time staying awake. With the promise of being told everything in the morning, the triplets all piled into their Papa's car after giving their brother gentle hugs.

Tifa and Xigbar rushed into the emergency room, filling out all the paperwork that was thrust their way in record time. Denzel was sitting in the chair between Xigbar and Tifa, leaning forward with his head over a bucket that one of the nurses gave him.

"How long is this going to fucking take?" Xigbar growled as he rubbed Denzel's back, noticing that the back of his son's shirt was already moist with more sweat.

Denzel made a pained noise that caused his parents to look down at him just in time to witness him vomit once again, missing the bucket in his hold completely and throwing up all over the waiting room floor. Tifa stood up and side stepped the mess, hurrying to the washroom to get some paper towel for her son. Denzel had started crying once more, whispering "I'm sorry" over and over again. Hating to see his boy in pain, Xigbar reached over and brought Denzel into his lap, holding the brunet's head to his chest.

"It's alright, Little Dude. It's not your fault. We're here to make it better," Xigbar whispered as Tifa returned. Sitting down next to her boyfriend, she used the paper towel to wipe Denzel's mouth, using a second damp towel to wipe his brow.

"Xigbar, Tifa and Denzel?" a voice called through the waiting room. Hearing his son whimper in pain once more, Xigbar stood up with Denzel still in his arms, holding him close to his chest. Looking over at the nurse that had called their names, Xigbar was slightly relieved to see a familiar face.

"Rosa?" Tifa questioned, relief lacing her voice again. The blonde nurse just nodded with a smile as she motioned for the family to follow her into a private examination room. As soon as the door was closed behind them, Rosa turned to the three of them. Xigbar sat Denzel down on the exam table, but refused to leave the boys side.

"So, what's going on here, Hun?" Rosa asked softly, looking at Tifa as she got ready to take Denzel's temperature and blood pressure.

"Denzel has this really high fever and just started vomiting. He's also complaining about severe pain everywhere. But he has been sick on and off for the last couple of months with infections, but nothing like this," Tifa said, her hands shaking as she sat down in the chair next to the exam table, watching as Rosa pulled the thermometer out of Denzel's mouth.

"Hmm. 102.7. I'm going to take your blood pressure now, alright sweetie?" Rosa smiled at Denzel as she took his arm and slipped the cuff on, "My, aren't you a handsome young man," she commented as she pumped the cuff up.

Denzel just blushed a color that had nothing to do with his fever, allowing the nurse to do her thing.

"Say, why not when you're feeling better, you get your parents to bring you over to my place some day. My son Hope is about your age, and I can imagine that sometimes you'd rather have another boy to play with instead of being made to play dolls and dress up with those sisters of yours." Writing information down on his chart, Rosa took the cuff off of his arm, and then turned to his parents. "His blood pressure is a little high, but that can be attributed to the pain. I'm going to go see about getting something to help you with that fever and nausea of yours, and I'm going to go get Dr. Kadowaki."

"Thanks, Rosa," Tifa smiled softly as they watched the pink clad nurse leave the room."

"How are you feeling, Little Dude?" Xigbar asked softly, rubbing Denzel's head.

"Empty," Denzel whispered, a small smile pulling at one corner of his lips.

Caught slightly off guard, it only took Xigbar a moment before he burst into laughter, "That's my boy. I promise that when you get out of here, I'm gonna take you out for the biggest burger we can find."

"But first," Tifa interjected with a smile, "We'll make sure that it will stay down. Hamburger isn't so tasty when it's coming back up."

"Eww! Tifa, that's gross! I only just now stopped wanting to puke!" Denzel said with real laughter.

Tifa and Xigbar couldn't help but smile a sad smile at one another at the small pain that they both felt when they heard Denzel addressing them by their names once more.

Before they could think about it any further, the door to the small room opened once more and Rosa walked in. "Dr. Kadowaki is just looking over your charts and medical records now. She should be here in just a few minutes. Until then, I have a shot here that should help you with the nausea, fever and pain."

Nodding, Denzel held his arm out to the nurse, squinting his eyes to prepare for the needle.

"Oh no, sweetheart. This shot doesn't go in your arm," Rosa smiled gently.

Blue eyes went wide, "Where does it go then?"

"I'm sorry, but this one goes in your backside."

Looking over at his parents, Denzel frowned when he saw them nod. Xigbar lifted him off of the exam table, the one eyed man then held out his forearm for Denzel to hold onto. The boy wrapped both hands tightly around the offered arm, eyes closing tightly shut when he felt the nurse pull the waistband of his pants down ever so slightly. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes tightly as he prepared for the worse.

"There, all done," Rosa said cheerfully, pulling his pants back up.

"You mean that's it?" Denzel asked, looking up at his father.

"Yup. You should be feeling better very shortly, and Dr. Kadowaki should be here any moment now," Rosa told them.

"Man, that didn't take long. I thought that we would have to be here all fucking night before anyone saw us," Xigbar said, hoisting Denzel back onto the table.

Rosa just gave them another smile, "Well, you are Kain's cousin after all. The least I can do is use my influence around here to help family."

"Thanks, Rosa. We really owe you one," Tifa said with a tired smile.

Rosa just waved the comment off, "I'm a mother too. I can understand what you're going through. Anyway, I have to make a few more rounds, but I will catch up with you a little later." Without another word, Rosa left the three of them alone in the room.

Denzel yawned, leaning back on the table, "I'm sleepy."

Placing a hand on his son's forehead, Xigbar couldn't notice any change in the fever yet. "Just relax. They are going to take good care of you." When he got a nod as blue eyes slid shut, Xigbar then went over and took a seat next to Tifa, their hands instantly coming together and squeezing each other tightly in support, love and fear.

Leaning over to lay her head on his broad shoulder, Tifa whispered, "He seems to be doing a little better now at least."

His arm wrapped around her shoulder, holding her close as he nodded, unsure of what to feel at the moment. No one said anything more as they sat in silence, an uneasy air hanging over them.

When the doctor finally arrived, Tifa and Xigbar both looked over to see that Denzel had fallen into a light sleep. It bothered them that they would have to wake him up now that he finally seemed to be getting a little bit of rest and respite from the fever and pain.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Kadowaki. You must be Tifa and Xigbar," reaching over, she shook both of their hands before looking turning towards the exam table, "And this must be Denzel. I'm really sorry, but I'm afraid that we are going to need to wake him up."

Tifa nodded before standing up and walking over to the table. Sitting down, she placed a hand on Denzel's forehead, pushing back some of the damp brown hair. "Denzel, sweetie, the doctor is here," She whispered.

Denzel's eyes flew open as he saw Tifa sitting there besides him. She helped him move into a sitting position, but didn't move from beside him.

"Hi, Denzel. I'm Dr. Kadowaki. How are you feeling now?" the kindly doctor asked, bending down so that she was face to face with Denzel.

"Not as bad as before, but still not very good," Denzel answered in a quiet voice.

"Alright then. Do you mind lifting your shirt so that I can take a listen to your heart?" The doctor questioned. Denzel nodded before pulling his shirt up, wincing when the cold stethoscope was pressed against his chest. "So, have you noticed any fatigue lately?"

Tifa just nodded, "A little, but we were told to expect that with all the infections that he has been having lately."

Instructing Denzel to take in a deep breath while she listened, Dr. Kadowaki continued, "What about decreased appetite or weight loss?"

"Nope, he still eats like a horse," Xigbar said with a chuckle, causing Denzel to smile.

"What about bruising? Have there been any bruises that appear that you can't explain, dear?"

The boy shrugged, looking up at Tifa. "Well, he's a little boy. He likes to play rough and his sisters are no better. We just thought the bruises were from that," Tifa answered.

"I'm going to check your shoulder now, alright?" the doctor then hung her stethoscope back around her neck. "Could I get you to take your shirt right off for me for this?"

Denzel nodded, and with Tifa's help, removed the garment. As soon as he did, Dr. Kadowaki pressed her hand against his left shoulder, her other hand going to his back. As she continued the examination, she went on explaining things to them, "I had the chance to look over Denzel's medical records. Can I get you to lay down on your back, sweetie? I need to check your stomach." Once again, Tifa helped him lay down. "I believe that there might be something bigger than just these seemingly random infections."

Xigbar's single eye flew open at the words that every parent dreaded to hear. Quickly his eye found Tifa's, her coffee colored eyes wide with the same fear, "What do you mean by that?" Xigbar asked, none of his normal strength apparent in his voice, instead it was replaced by worry and fear.

"Well, we are going to have to do some blood work and other tests, but I'm sad to say that most of Denzel's symptoms are connected to Leukemia. That's not to say that it is definite that he does have it, but it is a strong possibility."

At the word Leukemia, all color drained from both Xigbar and Tifa's faces. They were both thinking the same thing. Why? Why would this have to happen? Why would the world give them such a wonderful little boy, only to want to take him away so soon? He was part of their family now, completing it. They all loved him as if he had been there from the day he was born. They couldn't lose him now.

"I'm going to need a CBC and a blood profile, alright Rosa?" the doctor said. Tifa and Xigbar hadn't even noticed that Rosa was in the room again. The blonde nurse just nodded before exiting the room once more. "I think that Denzel should stay here for the night under observation, at least until we get the lab results back. That will probably take a little while. After Rosa gets the samples, we will transfer you to a room with a real bed, and then you can finally get some sleep, alright dear? I will come find you as soon as I find out anything at all."

Denzel just nodded, reaching out for his mother's hand. Tifa took the small hand into her own, squeezing it gently. The doctor continued to write things down on her clipboard, leaving the room in silence just as Rosa returned with the instruments she needed.

"Alright, time for another needle. But don't worry; this one does go in your arm," Rosa winked at Denzel, trying to ease the tension.

Nodding, Denzel just held out his arm, not watching as the nurse began to her task of drawing phial after phial of blood from his arm. It took no time at all for her to finish her task and as she packed up, she turned to Denzel. "I'm just going to go drop these off, then I will be right back and we can go upstairs and see about getting you admitted." Without another word, Rosa left the family alone to absorb all this new information.

Looking over at the exam table with sadness in his eye, Xigbar watched as Tifa wrapped her arms around Denzel, pulling the boy in for a tight hug as he began to tremble. Instantly, Xigbar was over next to his girlfriend and son, his own arms going around the two of them, pulling them into his chest.

"Mom, Dad. I'm scared…" Denzel spoke quietly with a quiver in his voice, just about breaking his parent's hearts.

"We are too, sweetie. We are too," Tifa whispered, holding back her own tears for the sake of her son.

"But don't worry, Little Dude. We'll find a way to get through it," Xigbar added, not sure how much he believed his own words.

.

.

.

"So, what do you want for breakfast, sweetie?" Tifa asked, handing Denzel the hospital menu. He had woken up after a fitful sleep that had only lasted a few hours, but still had worked wonders on how the boy was feeling. Tifa and Xigbar hadn't left their son's side all night, neither of them able to sleep a wink after the news they had received the night before. They were determined to be strong for Denzel though.

"Why bother even ordering that shit? It all tastes like fucking cardboard," Xigbar smirked, causing Denzel to laugh. At least he was acting more like himself this morning.

"But, I'm starving, Dad. Cardboard would be pretty tasty right about now. Not to mention, I would be getting my daily fiber intake," Denzel smiled, bringing the paper menu to his mouth, pretending to take a bite out of it.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing! How do you think I lost my eye!" Xigbar growled, grabbing the menu out of Denzel's hand.

"I'm not sure, but I'm fairly certain it wasn't from eating cardboard," Denzel grinned. Xigbar just laughed, throwing the menu back at his son, "Mom! Dad's throwing stuff at me when I'm sick!"

Tifa just laughed herself, turning to her boyfriend, "Xigbar, grow up." Rolling her eyes as Xigbar just stuck his tongue out at her, Tifa then picked up the phone, calling down to room service to order them all some breakfast, even though no one had told her what they wanted.

As she was on the phone, Xigbar looked over at his son, reaching over to ruffle his already sleep tousled hair. "You know, Little Dude, if it is still uncomfortable for you to call us Mom and Dad, you don't have to, you know."

"I know," Denzel smiled softly, "But it just feels right."

Xigbar laughed again, "And that's why we're going to keep you, kid."

A knock on the door caused the family to all look over, only to see Dr. Kadowaki enter the room.

"Good morning everyone," she said, closing the door behind her. Tifa hung up the phone instantly as they all gave the doctor their undivided attention, "Some good news, and some bad news I'm afraid. The test results are back, and the bad news is that Denzel does have Leukemia. It is Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Although it normally occurs in children aged two to five, it is not uncommon to find it in older children, or even adults. One bright side is that it does have an eighty percent cure right. And we do have even more good news," before anyone could say anything or comment, the doctor continued, "We believe that it is still in the very early stages and we might have caught it in time. There are a few other tests that we will need to do to make sure that we are correct and to see if the cancer has spread. We will need to do a CT scan of your head, chest and stomach, and a Lumbar Puncture. We may also need to do a bone marrow biopsy, but we're going to hold off on that one for now. We are recommending you to Dr. Tot. He is our resident cancer specialist, and he will make the decision of whether that is needed or not."

Giving them a moment of silence to absorb all of this information, Dr. Kadowaki then handed Tifa some medical brochures, "This is some information for you to look over. Cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence. Medical technology has advanced so far, and Dr. Tot is one of the best cancer specialists in the country. Now, I'm going to go order these tests for you, and I'll be back after that, alright?" Not waiting for a response, Dr. Kadowaki excused herself from the room.

Xigbar and Tifa both looked at their son to see how he was taking this information.

"So…" Denzel whispered, his voice shaking only slightly before the tremors took over his entire body, "That means I have cancer, doesn't it?"

Unable to stop her own tears, Tifa rushed over and gathered her son into her arms, holding him tightly to her chest, burying her face into his soft brown hair, "It will be okay, baby. You'll see," she whispered, her tears falling onto his hair as she began to rock them back and forth.

Xigbar wrapped his arms around the both of them, sandwiching Denzel between them, "Don't worry, Little Dude. We'll fight this thing tooth and nail, just you wait."

"I'm so luck to have found a family like you guys," Denzel whispered, allowing a few tears of his own to fall onto his mother's chest.

"No, Denzel. We're the lucky ones. We love you so much," Tifa told him.

"I love you guys too," Denzel said, sniffing.

Never a good one at verbally expressing his emotions, Xigbar just squeezed the two of them tighter, pulling them closer to him as he agreed wholly with those words.

* * *

So if you wanna know if Denzel makes it just ask :) or...you can check out some of our other fanfictions!

Now for the obligitory ending message:

If you like this story please check out some of our other stories from our Family Tree Universe in our archives :) And as always, if you would like to see where the pairings and family lines came from please go view our deviant art page, http :/ crymsonpahoyhoy . deviantart . com /, minus all of the spaces ;) The deviations are called FF KH Family Tree.

P.S. Oh please, oh please, oh please review! It will make us want to write more if you like it :D

Remember babies, Jesus loves you...but Satan loves your body!


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